Second wave of retired cops and firefighters arrested over 9/11 fraud charges

Nearly 30 retired New York City firefighters and police officers have been arrested for falsely claiming Social Security benefits in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Already, more than 100 retired firefighters and police officers
had been arrested in January as a result of a wide-ranging
pension fraud investigation. Retirees allegedly lied about their
mental and physical abilities in order to qualify for Social
Security benefits they would not have received otherwise.

Of the 106 originally arrested, 80 are believed to have claimed
to suffer from severe mental and emotional trauma at Ground Zero
on September 11, even though some of them were never at the
scene.

Now, Reuters is reporting that 28 more retirees have been
arrested on similar disability fraud charges – 16 former police
officers, four firefighters, and a New York City Department of
Corrections worker.

"The idea that many of them chose the events of 9/11 to claim
as the basis for their disability brings further dishonor to
themselves," New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton
said, according to the news service.

More than 130 city employees have been arrested during the
investigation so far, though it’s possible more are to come.
Investigators believe that up to $400 million in taxpayer funds
could have been stolen.

According to the New York Post, many of the retirees claimed they
couldn’t sleep, work, drive a car, or even leave their homes as a
result of their disabilities, only for investigators to find they
were flying helicopters, riding on jet skis, leading martial arts
classes, and more. Some former officers claimed mental handicaps
even while holding gun permits.

“That’s about as inconsistent with being disabled and unable
to perform physical or mental chores as you can get,’’ said
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. to the newspaper.

Investigators also claimed that four of the people involved were
coaching retirees on how to qualify for disability benefits. In
exchange, these ringleaders allegedly received kickbacks to the
tune of 14 monthly Social Security checks per person they
successfully enrolled into the program.

“As a New Yorker and as a US citizen, I can only express
disgust at the actions of the individuals involved in this
scheme, particularly the 72 former members of the New York City
Police Department who have certainly disgraced themselves,
embarrassed their families with their abuse of this system,”
Bratton said during a press conference in January.

Lawyers for the alleged ringleaders, however, stated their
clients were innocent.